1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toothbrush, and in particular to a toothbrush having a flexible zone in the handle.
2. Description of Related Art
When brushing one's teeth, particularly with a conventional straight rigid toothbrush, it can be difficult to reach all parts of the mouth in order to brush the teeth satisfactorily. It is also difficult with such brushes to maintain an optimum angle between the teeth and the head of the toothbrush for effective brushing and cleaning, necessitating continual repositioning of the brush in the hand throughout the brushing process. Consequently, there is a tendency to apply excess brushing pressure to some teeth and insufficient pressure to other teeth. The resultant combination of excess brushing pressure and inadequate cleaning or bad cleaning technique can result in damage to both teeth and gums.
Although angled-head toothbrushes have been suggested, as an attempt to overcome some of these difficulties, they do not satisfactorily meet all the requirements.
Proposals have also been made for toothbrushes having moveable heads, but these involve multiple parts and are consequently difficult and somewhat expensive to manufacture and are thus not commercially attractive. They can also be somewhat awkward to use.
In a toothbrush having a flexible zone in the handle, it is necessary to balance the flexibility against sufficient rigidity to ensure adequate and proper brushing, whilst still retaining a compact shape and size. DE-C-3 640 898 describes a toothbrush in which the flexible zone is integral with the handle and head and of relatively narrow, circular cross section to impart equal flexibility in all directions and to make that zone more flexible than, the handle.